Equipment to rearrange as to position flat or oblong articles



May 23, 1961 UDERSTADT 2,985,276

EQUIPMENT TO REARRANGE AS TO POSITION FLAT 0R OBLONG ARTICLES Filed Feb. 10, 1959 INVENTOR.

E UDERSTADT EQUIPMENT TO REAR-RANGE AS TO POSITION FLAT OR OBLONG ARTICLES Erich Uderstadt, Klein-Machnow, Germany, assignor to International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Feb. 10, 1959, Ser. No. 792,348

Claims priority, application Germany Feb. 17, 1958 3 Claims. (Cl. 198-33) This invention relates to article positioning devices and more particularly to a positioning device used in connection with conveying systems.

In conveying systems it is sometimes necessary for fiat or oblong articles to be so rearranged as to extend all in the same direction. In fact, the manipulation of placing the articles onto conveyors, and the behavior of the articles during transportation, especially at turnoifs of the conveying path, or when the conveying belt comes to move downward or upward, involve the risk that the articles so supplied to the conveyor as to extend in the same direction may change in position by 180, for example. Such flat or oblong articles are, for instance, cards, part of sheet metal or other material, bolts, pins, and the like. An essential feature in this respect is that, as viewed in the direction of conveyance, the front and rear edges or ends are different from each other so that their center of gravity is outside the line which is in the center between these two edges or ends.

According to the invention, the equipment by which these flat or oblong articles, whose center of gravity is outside the aforesaid center line, shall be rearranged, and which is used in connection with a conveying belt, comprise the following features: The conveying belt leads to a hollow or pit which is as wide as the conveying belt or path of conveyance and as long as the articles to be rearranged. This hollow contains a narrow bar disposed in the center of the length of this hollow. Provided that at the two ends of this bar are flaps constituting a continuation of the path of conveyance and movable downward at the same time. At the bottom of the hollow a conveyor or any other suitable means is arranged to collect the articles.

The invention deals particularly with the conveyance and the rearranging of record cards that have a strengthening or enlargement provided at one end such as the top thereof so that their center of gravity does not coincide with the line by which their headroom is divided in two equal parts. Such conveyor systems for record cards are used in connection with card indexes so controlled that the desired cards may, at will, be ejected for conveyance to some processing point. Care must here be taken that the card having been placed onto the conveying means be not turned, in order that each card arriving at the processing point may be in the proper position for reading the information on it. This requirement can not be fulfilled, or is ditficult to fulfill, by constructing the conveying path very carefully, since the material of which the cards consist lacks a certain rigidity. A simple equipment acting to range or rearrange cards which are not in an orderly position will hence be useful.

The invention will now be explained with the aid of the accompanying drawing.

A conveying belt, not represented, conveys the articles, which in the present case are record cards R to an inclined plane 1 that leads into a funnel-shaped hollow leading either into a chamber or to a second conveyor C, approitcd States Patent priately of the type acting edgewise. Each record card R has a heavier portion 8a adjacent one end thereof and indicated by shading lines. Provided at the lower edge of the inclined plane 1 are two opposed flaps 2, 3, which extend parallel to the longitudinal axis of the inclined plane 1 and which are in the nature of continuations of the inclined plane and can be turned downward on their axles 4, 5, by any suitable motive means. Each flap, 2, 3, has attached to its axle 4 an upstanding lever 4a. The flaps are shown diagrammatically linked through levers 4a and linkages 4b to a motive means M. The axles 4, 5, extend through the stop wall 6 and similar axles (not shown) extend through the lower portion 1a of inclined plane 1. These flaps correspond in a sense to the edges of the conveying path followed by records R. At the end opposite the inclined plane 1 the said hollow has a stop wall 6 spaced from the lower edge of plane 1 at a distance corresponding to the length of the article to be conveyed, the article being here a record card. Exactly in the middle of the upper opening of the hollow a narrow-cross bar 7 is fixedly mounted between the flaps 2, 3. Bar 7 is supported by the brackets 7a attached to its underside, and is rounded off as shown. Extending upwardly from the surface of the bar 7, I provide a leaf spring switch indicator generally at 7a. The tongue of the switch 7b extends upwardly in the path of a record R as it slides along the flaps 3 and is depressed thereby. Tongue 7b in its depressed condition closes contact pair 70, thus completing an operating circuit for solenoid M via conductors D and series battery B.

The cards arriving over the inclined plane 1 are caused by gravity or by the impetus lent to them by the conveyor, to slide over the flaps 2, 3 and to come against the stop wall 6. Thereafter these flaps are caused to be turned downward so that the cards will be supported by bar 7 alone. Since, however, the center of gravity of each card is outside the center line thereof, the card on bar 7 will be drawn by its heavier half including the portion 8a from off this bar and will thus fall into one side or the other of said collecting chamber, not shown, or onto one side of the other of said second conveyor, likewise not represented. Alternatively, an actuating switch may be set in the stop plate 6 .so that each time a card R is delivered from the conveyor the switch will cause the motive means M to open the flaps 2, 3. In order that the invention may be clearly understood the card R lying on the flaps 2 and 3, is shown partially cut-away.

It will be noted that the card lying on the flaps 2, 3, has its heavier end 8a facing opposite to the heavy end of the card shown on the inclined plane 1. The card on the flaps 2, 3, will thus pivot counterclockwise over the bar 7 and the card shown on the inclined plane 1 when it reaches flaps 2 and 3 will pivot clockwise over the bar 7 when the flaps are opened, as previously explained. The width of the flaps is to be suited to the shape of the articles to be sorted. Bar 7 may be of a form other than that here shown. For example, it may be broader and turnable on its longitudinal axis in order that each article may find adequate support on it and may be easy to remove therefrom.

While I have described above the principles of my invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of my invention, as set forth in the objects thereof and in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for positioning flat or oblong articles whose center of gravity lies substantially outside the center line thereof, comprising conveying means for conveying said articles, said conveying means having an articledischarge portion, fixed stop means spaced from said d s.-

charge portion extending transversely to the direction of travel of said conveying means and in the path of an article discharged thereby, a pair of opposed movable elements, disposed intermediate said discharge portion and said stop means, said elements normally. constituting an extension of the conveying path defined by said conveying means and adapted to receive delivery of articles therefrom, a fixed pivot element disposed intermediate said discharge portion and said stop means and extending transversely to the direction of travel of said conveying means, said pivot element comprising a bar having a convex curved upper surface which aids the pivoting of said articles and guides their fall, said pivot element positioned out of the path of travel of articles delivered to said movable elements, and means for moving said elements out of contact with said delivered articles whereby each article is caused to rest on said pivot element and to pivot thereover in one direction or the other in dependence upon the position of its center of gravity with respect to said pivot element.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said movable elements comprise a pair of oppositely rotatable flaps having axes of rotation parallel to the direction of travel of said conveying means.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim'2, wherein'correspending edges of said flaps extend toward each other, the distance between them being less than the length of said fixed pivot element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,334,326 Strane Mar. 23, 1920 1,456,216 Brightman May 22, 1923 2,783,873 Lowe Mar. 5, 1957 2,786,565 Eckart Mar. 26, 1957 

